I’ve been so frustrated with diet, er, excuse me, WAY OF LIVING groups since I decided to try lower carb. These groups sell themselves as an easy way to lose weight. “Just don’t eat this, and boom!” Or, “Make this your diet and voila!”

However, what these groups are is filled with people staving themselves that would lose weight no matter what they were or aren’t eating. You come into the group because someone said, “This is so simple. You’ll wish you’d done it sooner!” Then you’re pumped full of dogma about how “any other way is crap, doctors don’t know anything, and you’ll die if you don’t eat this way. Plus, never stray for a second or you will gain it all back instantly!”

Basically, over-simplification and fear-mongering. Plus, you have to put up with bullying people who don’t comply, and mocking any other approach.

No thanks.

The first times (yes, multiple) I lost weight, I simply watched what I ate, and exercised. Now diet groups say exercise matters almost none. Don’t even bother. And it’s ALL diet. “You can’t outrun your fork!” “Garbage in means your body can’t be efficient enough to drop weight.”
I know I go through waves where I try new eating approaches. Trying to find something that makes me lose weight. So far, it hasn’t happened.

I’m trying to regroup. Again. And realize there is NO diet that’s easy. There are lots of bodies. But every time someone stalls on ANY of these diets, the advice is to eat fewer calories or fast (eating fewer calories) or some other form if eating less. They sell the diet as appetite suppressing, or allowing you to eat more. But it’s all bullshit..Some people just drop weight easier (me in my twenties) so it seems simple. Others struggle no matter what (me in my thirties).

Honestly, the stuff promoted isn’t any different than the pro-ana stuff I had a short stint interested in. And while I understand anorexia is an eating disorder, so is orthorexia, and I see so many of those tendencies in ask of these diets. Obsession with perfection, fear of certain foods or groups of foods, and making those around you enemies.

Having orthorexia netted me weight GAIN. Doing low carb, very low carb (keto) and zero carb for the past six months has resulted in four pounds lost. FOUR. Better than four gained. But I list more than ten fasting – and in a shorter period of time.

And for the record, I know fasting only made me lose because I was starving. I’d lose a lot more during the fast and then most of it comes back.

What’s my new plan? I’m just going to take the things I felt worked in other diets and implement into a calorie controlled diet with strength training and cardio. Essentially what I’ve done in the past. No dogma. No rules to follow. No off limit foods. Just be honest about what doesn’t work. And know what does. Be better at tracking when I feel good, and when I don’t.

Plus, I really do think working out us important for more than weight loss. And I think fat loss is far more important than WEIGHT loss, but that gets lost in the shuffle in these groups. I’d far rather weigh 40+ more pounds, have a ton of muscle, and be in great shape than brag I list 100 pounds.

My happiest and healthiest was when I was doing Form and Cathe workouts 3-5 days a week, running 1-3 times a week, short distances, and eating pretty freely but with awareness because eating terribly made the workouts harder.

That, for me, is where I’m heading now.

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I agree with this so much! Of course you will lose if you are zero carb, no carb, very low calorie, whole foods only, raw food diet, fasting, etc etc etc. problem is, once you return to normal eating you’ll gain it back. I feel like I’ve tried everything! Elimination diets, low carb, very low calorie, intermittent fasting, list goes on and on. I can’t stick to ANY of them for any length of time. I’m trying Weight Watchers now. I’ve been on it four months and down 15lbs. With over two of the months not being very strict. The first month I followed the plan to a T and dropped 10lbs with diet alone, no exercising. I’m trying to get back in the game of sticking to it more closely which really means being more diligent with my logging. When I do, I lose. And it’s pretty easy to stick to bc no food is really off limits. I’m glad I seem to have found something that is working for me and I don’t feel deprived. I finally know, for me, any diet that says “none of this or that” I will NEVER stick to. Nor do I want to live my life that way. I’m learning to make better food choices and I can still splurge and go out to eat etc. So it seems manageable. I have 60-65 to go, so we shall see! Good luck with your continued journey!

Unfortunately, low car, very low carb and zero carb, even eating less than I was on a now restrictions diet (less calories for sure) really didn’t net me any weight loss. (4lbs isn’t nothing, but it’s not much!)

I finally gave up on any specific plan. I’m trying to modified low-ish carb diet now. Make some good choices for the sake of not spiking insulin. Or whatever it is in higher carb that makes me more tired and anxious. So I want to keep those benefits, but worry less about strict super low carb. I’m going to try 50g for awhile per day (more than twice keto) and see how I feel.

The biggest thing I’m doing is the one thing I truly enjoy: exercising more as long as my body can keep up! I tend to eat better when I exercise. And I sleep better, and overall seem to handle stress better. Switching or starting diets takes up all of my bandwidth to let my body adjust and focus my willpower on. This way, my diet is looser, in that there’s no specific restriction, but I’ll pay attention to,calories and what makes ME feel good.

I’d like to lose about 50-55 and could stand to lose more. So we are about in the same boat. Keep checking back in! And also good luck to you!